It is not enough only to manufacture first-class products to succeed in the modern world. Today it takes much more to get to the fast lane that leads to the top, with marketing being the supreme ruler of success. If you do not know how to pack your products into shiny wrappings, you will fail to achieve your business goals. So, the first thing that company managers need to ask themselves is whether or not they have the capacity required to devise effective content marketing strategies.
Start from your future
Outsourcing your content marketing efforts is pointless unless you know what your goals are in the first place. Where do you see your business in one year’s time? How large should it be? How many products you think you will be producing in the next few months? All these questions are crucial when it comes to your marketing strategy.
If you are not dreaming big at the moment, it is wiser to try and use your own resources in terms of marketing. So if you run a small startup, you could promote the business and your projects in social media with the help of your employees. On the other hand, if you want to plunge into the realm of business for real, it goes without saying that your own marketing capacities will not suffice.
Make a financial plan
When you have determined what your company should look like a year from now, it is much easier to set the budget for your marketing promotion. Basically, every business owner should decide how much of their revenues should be allocated for marketing. It depends on the type and size of business, as well as its position in the market. If you see that your investment in content marketing does not give any returns, it is either time to increase the budget or find a new marketer.
The point is that you should stick to your marketing financial plan as much as possible. According to an analysis published by the US Government Small Business Administration, businesses whose revenues stay below $5 million should invest about 7-8 percent in their marketing. Read the whole text here to learn more about startups and their marketing budgets.
Freelancers or established agencies?
The most important question when it comes to the choice of the outsourcer is whether you should go for an independent freelancer or a professional agency. Just like every other aspect of content marketing, this one also depends on your needs and business visions. If you are an independent trader who runs a small business, hiring an agency will be too expensive. In that case, finding a freelancer with fine references will do.
On the other hand, when your business has left the initial stage of development, working with an agency might be a better option, as the marketing experts from Louder Online would suggest. Agencies can usually count on a larger number of employees and they can efficiently create content marketing strategies for different companies at the same time.
The matter of measure
Now that you have made a financial plan for your marketing goals and found the outsourcer, you have to give them precise instructions and express your expectations. The key element here is telling your marketers what you consider a success. Is it getting more followers on Facebook or a larger number of sold items on your website? Some business owners will be happy if their web traffic is increased, since they will make more money from the ads on their website.
On the other hand, some others will prefer generating sales leads. It all depends on your business goals andevery business owner seeking better content marketing promotion has to specify every single requirement and expectation to their marketers.
Only businesses that do not run for profit or do not depend on digital marketing can play on their own when it comes to content marketing. Contrary to that, every company committed to success and long-lasting presence in the business world should turn to third-party marketing services to attain their business goals.